Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32648647›Full record

ReviewObesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity2020

Scientific evidence underlying contraindications to the ketogenic diet: An update.

Mikiko Watanabe, Dario Tuccinardi, Ilaria Ernesti, Sabrina Basciani, Stefania Mariani, Alfredo Genco, Silvia Manfrini, Carla Lubrano, Lucio Gnessi

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 68 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
68citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

68 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  11. The Ketogenic Diet in Obesity Management: Friend or Foe?Cell biochemistry and biophysics · 2026
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8 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Mikiko WatanabeDepartment of Experimental Medicine, Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-2225-8814
Dario TuccinardiDepartment of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-9139-7159
Ilaria ErnestiDepartment of Experimental Medicine, Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-6711-5115
Sabrina BascianiDepartment of Experimental Medicine, Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Stefania MarianiDepartment of Experimental Medicine, Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Alfredo GencoDepartment of Surgical Sciences, Surgical Endoscopy Unit, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-9702-8998
Silvia ManfriniDepartment of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Carla LubranoDepartment of Experimental Medicine, Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Lucio GnessiDepartment of Experimental Medicine, Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-8217-2372

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

First identified as a feasible treatment for intractable epilepsy, the ketogenic diet (KD) has recently gained popularity thanks to growing evidence on applications such as weight loss, most importantly, but also NAFLD, cancer, neurologic conditions and chronic pain. As with any treatment, whether pharmacologic or not, the KD might not be an appropriate intervention for every individual, and a number of contraindications have been proposed, now deeply rooted into clinical practice, excluding de facto many patients that could benefit from its use. However, many of these concerns were expressed due to the absence of clinical studies conducted on fragile populations, and an assessment of lately emerged evidence relative to KD safety is currently lacking and much needed. We herein provide a critical revision of the literature behind each safety alert, in order to guide through the treatment options in the case of subjects with an indication to the KD and a borderline safe situation. Based on available evidence, the possible use of this diet as a therapeutic intervention should be assessed on a patient-to-patient basis by adequately skilled medical doctors, keeping in mind current recommendations, but reading them through the knowledge of the current state of the art.

Indexed as

ContraindicationsDiet, KetogenicHumansWeight Losslow-carbohydrate dietsafetyvery low-calorie dietVLCKD

Identifiers

PMID32648647
PMCPMC7539910

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.